It was a week steeped in mediocrity for Florida alumni in the NFL. The normally consistent defensive players like Jon Bostic, Janoris Jenkins and Marcus Maye struggled. But amongst the suckage, a couple of Gators quietly pitched their best performances of 2019.
Antonio Callaway (wide receiver, Cleveland Browns) had his best day since returning from a four-game suspension in Week 5. The second-year player caught four passes (five targets) for 56 yards, doubling his total receptions for the year, as the Browns fell to the Denver Broncos, 24-19. Also having a stand-out Sunday was fifth-year player Jaylen Watkins (corner, Los Angeles Chargers). Watkins made four tackles (all solo), including a tackle-for-loss, in his first start of the season. It was just the sixth start of his career, as Los Angeles trounced the Green Bay Packers in a 26-11 victory.
Jarrad Davis (linebacker, Detroit Lions) and Joe Haden (corner, Pittsburgh Steelers) also quietly contributed some nice plays for their respective teams. Davis mustered six tackles (three solo) in a 31-24 loss at the Oakland Raiders, while Haden secured three tackles (all solo) and defended a pass in the Steelers’ 26-23 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
One player who was expected to have a strong 2019 and hasn’t delivered is Trey Burton (tight end, Chicago Bears). The sixth-year pass catcher was targeted only once in Chicago’s 22-14 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles, its fourth-straight defeat.
The struggles of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears offense have manifested themselves in Burton, who only has 14 receptions (23 targets), 84 yards and no touchdowns through seven games.
A season ago, the tight end caught six touchdowns, hauled in 71 percent of the passes thrown his way and averaged 10.5 yards per reception and 35.6 yards per game (54 receptions for 569 yards). In 2019, Burton is only catching 60 percent of Trubisky’s passes and averaging just 6 yards per reception and 12 yards per game. From a statistical perspective, Burton is one of the NFL’s most disappointing players in 2019 thus far.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
The 2019 Florida basketball season is now upon us, and in head coach Mike White’s 5th season, the expectations are higher than ever. The latest BPI (Basketball Power Index) has Florida tied for the best chance to win the NCAA tournament. The Gators have more than enough talent to make a run this year, and expectations are as high as the glory years in the mid-2000’s.
Key losses:
First let’s take a look at who Florida lost from last season’s tournament team.
The one that Gator fans will miss most, is KeVaughn Allen. A 4-year starter who finished #6 on the all-time scoring list at UF, he was a mainstay of the starting lineup for years in the orange and blue.
Another loss for Florida is Jalen Hudson. The second highest scorer by an incoming transfer in program history, he put up 861 points in two years at UF. Hudson gave the Gators length on the perimeter and consistent shooting from behind the arc.
Kevarrius Hayes, has also finished his time in the orange and blue. The senior who had an up and down career for the Gators, was another guy who consistently found his way into minutes and starting roles.
Keith Stone, a junior last year, transferred out of Gainesville. He came to Florida with huge potential but never quite reached it. Key Returners:
The Gators return several players who contributed to last year’s squad.
Starters Andrew Nembhard and Noah Locke return to the backcourt for Florida. Expect both of these guys to get looks from multiple teams in the upcoming NBA draft.
In the frontcourt the Gators keep sophomore Keyontae Johnson. Johnson was instrumental for the Gators last season logging a .470 shooting percentage and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Gorjok Gak and Dontay Basset also return to Gainesville in the frontcourt as well, but will open the season nursing injuries.
Key Additions:
Now we get to the part everyone has been looking forward to, the #8 ranked recruiting class Mike White brings in this year.
Headlining this class is guard Scottie Lewis, a likely one-and-done candidate.
The Gators bring in another McDonald’s All-American in Tre Mann. A local of sorts, Mann played at The Villages High School, but grew up in Gainesville. Mann looks to shine in his return to Hogtown.
Another freshman with high expectations is Jason Jitoboh. The 6-foot 11-inch freshman from Nigeria will be a big presence down low for Florida throughout his collegiate career.
Ques Glover is another guard that Mike White has brought in. Ques comes right out of rival Tennessee’s backyard in Knoxville. Ques brings in a state championship and MVP honors and will be a role player off the bench this season.
Oh yeah,
Mike White landed the top ranked transfer in the country, Kerry Blackshear. Blackshear’s arrival moved the Gators from SEC contender to NCAA title contenders.
The grad-transfer averaged 14.9 and 7.5 rebounds at Virginia Tech last season and brings a legitimate post-presence into Mike White’s offense.
Hopes are high in Gainesville, so sit back and enjoy the ride back to prominence in the basketball world for the Gators.
Florida tips off the season against North Florida on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
With the announcement of FSU’s firing of head football coach, Willie Taggart, Sunday afternoon, chances are other teams across the country are taking a good look at the Seminoles’ commitment list and taking aim at recruits they feel they can flip from Taggart-less ‘Noles.
One of those teams being Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators.
The pool of athletes is just as rich as the soil here in Florida and with the recent disarray at the Florida State football program, the Gators have a leg up in the recruiting race within the Sunshine State.
Now, who will likely be on the Gators’ radar to really push for a flip?
Josh Griffis – 3-Star DE @ IMG Academy
Bradenton, FL – 6-4”, 245 lb
Back in September of 2017, Griffis retained an offer from the Gators and actually committed to the University of Florida – which, at the time, was no surprise considering Griffis and his family’s fandom of the Florida Gators. However, in February of this year, five days after his visit to Tallahassee, Griffis decommitted from UF and committed to the rivaling ‘Noles in April. While it’s just speculation, Griffis has since removed any signs of his commitment to FSU as of Sunday. Florida defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, was pretty fond of Griffis, who comes in as the 76thbest high school football prospect in the State of Florida.
Morven Joseph – 3-Star DE @ Lake Gibson
Lakeland, FL – 6-3”, 211 lb
The addition of Joseph would be another nice pickup for Todd Grantham and the Florida defense at the linebacker spot. Like Griffis, Joseph was also previously committed to the Gators back in February of this year. However, following an unofficial visit to the ‘Noles in late June, Joseph flipped to Coach Taggart and FSU late in July of this year. This is a kid that Todd Grantham really wants to see in orange and blue – I have no doubts that the Gators haven’t stayed in Joseph’s ear despite the flip in July. Though I will say this, when Joseph broke his Twitter silence following Taggart’s firing, he was very complimentary of interim head coach, Odell Haggins.
Jaylan Knighton – 4-Star APB @ Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach, FL – 5-9”, 194 lb
The SoFlo all-purpose back has two commitments and two de-commitments under his belt. Initially committing to Oklahoma before flipping to the Seminoles, Knighton announced on Monday that amid Taggart’s firing, he is opening up his recruitment once more. The Gators are slated to welcome Knighton to Gainesville this Saturday as the Gators host Vanderbilt. However, Knighton’s phone will likely be ringing off the hook in the weeks to come as he also boasts offers from Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State (who is really hot on the trail for Knighton) among many others.
As Dan Mullen said following Florida’s loss to Georgia on Saturday, there is still a lot of football to be played. And while I fully expect Mullen and his staff to focus on Saturday’s bout against the Commodores, I assure you they are glancing over FSU’s commit list in their spare time.
The Florida Gators nearly salvaged a positive result in Jacksonville from perhaps their worst performance of the 2019 season.
Down 16-3 entering the fourth quarter with a negative total of rushing yards, UF could not get anything going until quarterback Kyle Trask came to life in the final frame. However, a tired defense that couldn’t get off the field dug the Gators into a hole it couldn’t climb out of, and it led to some of the worst grades of the season.
Offense: C-
What’s most frustrating about Florida’s mere 17 points against Georgia is that it moved the ball decently. UF only posted one three-and-out and didn’t commit a turnover, relying on short-to-intermediate passes to Kyle Pitts and Freddie Swain to jumpstart drives.
However, as the field shrunk, so did the Gators’ ability to pick up first downs. They floundered on third down, converting just 2 of 9 opportunities.
A lack of running game prevented Florida from creating third-and-manageable situations, as it only had one situation of third-and-4 or less: a run with Dameon Pierce that was stuffed for a two yard loss. In total, UF mustered just 21 yards on 19 attempts.
Kyle Trask played a strong fourth quarter, going 8 of 13 for 74 yards and two touchdowns in the frame. He is the first UF quarterback to throw for two touchdowns against Georgia since Tim Tebow in 2009, but his first three quarters of play were mediocre at best.
Four of Florida’s first five drives ended without points (it only had seven drives total). Trask’s worst moments were when he took the game’s only two sacks, one for 10 yards in the first quarter and another for 19 yards in the fourth quarter.
A botched fourth-and-1 pass to Pitts on the first drive also gave the Bulldogs major early momentum, and the Gators didn’t recover from the loss of mojo until its first touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
Defense: D-
Out of all the disappointing statistics for the Florida defense, one factored most into its failing grade: 12 for 18 on third down.
The Gators allowed quarterback Jake Fromm and the UGA offense to pick up 66.6 percent of its third downs, as the penultimate play — a 22 yard pass to tight end Eli Wolf on third-and-7 on the contest’s last drive — secured the UGA win.
The Bulldogs were 5 for 5 on third and less than four, but their average distance on the critical down was 7.2, meaning UF had plenty of opportunities to get off the field and didn’t. Fromm converted eight passes on third down, averaging almost 12 yards per completion. He was comfortable in the pocket too, only being pressured twice and never sacked.
Florida got off the field only twice without giving up points: once in the second quarter in its own territory and again in the third quarter thanks to a holding call on a would-be touchdown.
And when they needed to get off the field most critically, the Gators floundered. A busted coverage by safety Shawn Davis against UGA’s best receiver, Lawrence Cager, in the fourth quarter allowed Cager to take 52 yard pass to the end zone. Then on the critical third-and-7 completion to Wolf, safety Brad Stewart was burned by the former-Tennessee tight end, and he couldn’t recover despite a lofted pass thrown off of Fromm’s back foot.
Special Teams: B
No wonder the punt team eats first at pregame meals, because it is by far Florida’s most consistent unit.
Tommy Townsend punted well two of the three times he was called upon, averaging 43.7 yards per punt. His first boot went 56 yards and put Georgia inside its own 20. He got off another 43 yard punt deep in his own territory in the second quarter despite a near block, but his 32 yard effort in the third quarter was a wasted opportunity to pin the Bulldogs deep in their own territory.
Kicker Evan McPherson made a critical field goal in the first half from 38 yards, helping bring the game within one possession.
However, Florida’s kickoff coverage was a little shaky. UGA returner Brian Herrrien had a kick return of 27 and 25 yards, the first of which brought the ball to the UGA 32 and led to a field goal.
Coaching: D-
Florida was out-coached by Georgia. It’s that simple.
Yet as much credit as one must give to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, Florida repeatedly shot itself in the foot, starting with the opening offensive drive.
Before the failed fourth-and-1, the Gators had third-and-1 from the Georgia 40. A false start by inexperienced tight end Dante Lang (a puzzling person to have on the field in such an important situation) moved UF to third-and-6 before running back Lamical Perine came up short to the line to gain. Really it was fourth-and-a-foot, but Dan Mullen decided to call a pass to tight end Kyle Pitts rather than a more quick developing play.
Defensively, the execution of Todd Grantham’s plays was mystifyingly bad. Georgia had success hitting underneath routes for first downs, playing right into Florida’s seven-man zone. However, soft coverage, especially by the linebackers, allowed UGA receivers to catch the ball and run past the sticks. On Georgia’s first third-down conversion, a third-and-14 pass completed to Cager, linebacker David Reese dropped five yards past the first down line, allowing Cager to run a simple drag route and scamper for a first down with little contest.
Late in the game, Florida’s offense improved, but its time management came into serious question. The Gators used almost seven minutes on its last offensive drive, basically running down the clock for UGA. Mullen was also forced to use a critical timeout on the drive when Van Jefferson lined up and covered an inside receiver. Having this timeout would have allowed Florida to get the ball back, albeit with very little time.
Finally, why were so many of Florida’s best athletes underused?
Kadarius Toney’s return from injury was hyped, but he touched the ball once. Maybe he’s not healthy enough to get a volume of touches, but at least use him as a decoy and give him more than one opportunity.
With a struggling running game, why not allow Emory Jones to handle the ball more? He gives UF an extra dynamic in its rushing attack and could open things up, especially when UGA was putting only five players in the box (which it did quite often, as it didn’t respect the run at all).
Also, wide receiver Jacob Copeland had a career performance against South Carolina, while fellow receiver Josh Hammond has been one of UF’s most explosive players this season.
Copeland didn’t receive a pass, while Hammond caught one ball for five yards. The lack of involvement of playmakers was one of the most confusing trends in the loss, and any of the players could have been a major difference maker if aptly utilized.
Jacksonville, FL – Florida left Jacksonville with heavy hearts on Saturday evening. With an opportunity to take a major step forward in their goal to reach Atlanta, the Gators failed to seize the moment and ultimately lost to Eastern rival, Georgia for the third year in a row. Despite executing the keys to victory that I identified earlier in the week, Florida struggled in the areas that they should have found success.
For the most part, Bulldogs running back, D’Andre Swift was contained, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on his way to 86 yards. This is exactly what the Gators wanted to do. By slowing Swift and the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, it forced the game into the hands of Jake Fromm and a receiving corps that has been mostly lackluster this season. However, Fromm exploited every soft coverage that the Gators gave him.
On the day, Fromm completed 66% of his passes for 279 yards and a pair of Georgia touchdowns. The biggest surprise of the night was the emergence of Lawrence Cager. Florida’s secondary had no answer for the senior wideout who hauled in seven catches for 132 yards and a score. What should have been a winning defensive gameplan was undermined by the Gators’ inability to get the Bulldogs off the field.
Georgia converted twelve of eighteen third downs, preventing Florida’s offense from seeing much of the field. When the Gators did have the ball, they struggled with getting the correct personnel on and off the field. They were forced to burn two of their three timeouts on the first possession of the game when they lined up without enough players on the field. For all of the third-down success that Georgia had, the Gators were equally inefficient, going just two for nine on third downs.
Kyle Trask finished with a solid stat line, passing for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns — the first Gators quarterback to finish with two passing touchdowns in the Florida/Georgia game since Tim Tebow in 2009 — but displayed his inexperience by taking some costly sacks instead of throwing the ball away. On one of those plays, Trask ran 19 yards deep into the backfield before taking the sack. Thus ending an otherwise promising drive.
For all of the hype around having all of their stars back from injury, Kadarius Toney and Jabari Zuniga really didn’t make much of an impact in the game. Zuniga had the biggest play between the two when he leveled D’Andre Swift for a four-yard loss on Georgia’s opening drive. Toney finished with just one touch, a handoff to the outside that went nowhere. Jonathan Greenard, also back from injury, led the team with nine tackles but came away with zero tackles for loss, an area in which he has excelled this season.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the day was the coaching. Florida has one of the best head coaches in the nation. Mullen can set up a play better than just about anybody in the game but much of the playcalling was milquetoast. The fact that Gators were flagged for illegal substitutions and had to burn several timeouts because they couldn’t get the proper players out onto the field also falls on the coaching staff. Such issues shouldn’t take place within a top ten team at this point in the season, especially coming off of a bye week.
Many fans will also point to the officiating. They have a valid argument. It was poor, to say the least. Georgia’s first touchdown was set up when an obvious incomplete pass to Cager was called a completion, reviewed, and then upheld. Had the review been handled properly, the play would have resulted in a fourth down. Another review overturned a first down for the Gators and ultimately stalled their opening drive. There was far less evidence to overturn the first down than there was to overturn the incompletion that was ruled a catch.
However, Florida should have taken the game into their own hands and executed at a level that would never have allowed the game to be influenced by bad calls or even by no calls. In the end, the Gators showed that they are, indeed, still in a rebuild. A lack of depth at key positions is still rearing its ugly head and until Dan Mullen and his staff are able to bring in talent and numbers, Florida is going to continue to have days like this. The good news? They didn’t get run off the field as they have in the past two meetings.
Florida is closing the gap and they are showing that they will be a legitimate contender, once again, under Dan Mullen. Although Atlanta appears to be lost, Florida still has much to play for. A 10-2 finish with a shot at a second consecutive New Year’s Six bowl appearance is still a successful completion to year two of Mullen’s tenure. Though the loss stings right now, it is still great to be a Florida Gator.
The Gators received a bit of good news on Friday afternoon when they secured the commitment of 4-star athlete, Marc Britt. The 6’2″, 190-pound Miami native hails from Miami Christian School and is rated in the nation’s top 300.
Brit currently holds a 247Sports composite rating of 90.5% and looks to add to an already deep wide receiver corps. Gators receivers coach, Brian Johnson is credited with the commitment.
Florida was one of sixteen schools that pursued Britt’s talents, beating out programs like Miami, Alabama, and Penn State, to name a few.
The commitment lends just a little extra juice to a program that is already fired up for this weekend’s clash with the hated Georgia Bulldogs.
The Georgia Bulldogs (7-6-4) gave Florida (10-7-1) a treat they won’t soon forget this Halloween, downing the Gators 1-0 on a last minute winner in Athens to wrap up the regular season for both squads.
This is the first time Georgia has defeated the Gators since 2008.
The Bulldogs came into this game unbeaten in their last four. Despite their hot streak, Florida had all the momentum in the opening minutes.
The Gators bossed possession for the first 20 minutes and registered five shots, but most failed to threaten Georgia keeper and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week Emory Wegener.
The weather was a second opponent in this match, as the wind batted down some crosses early in the game and the cold attempted to pry its way through layers of clothing as players and coaches bundled up on the sidelines. As the game went on, the temperature kept dropping, eventually settling around just below 50 degrees.
The first half produced no goals for either side. Florida had the shot advantage over Georgia, six to three, but neither side looked particularly menacing.
Second Half
The Gators came close to coughing up a goal at the 70 minute mark, when Vanessa Kara played a poor back pass to keeper Susi Espinoza. Georgia midfielder Dani Murguia diverted the ball towards the net with a sliding shot, but it went wide.
Cassidy Lindley and Parker Roberts chipped in with dangerous efforts for Florida shortly afterwards, but the breakthrough goal in the game would favor the Bulldogs.
In the 89th minute, a Florida turnover caused freshman forward Haley Sorrell to be alone in the box. Midfielder Abby Boyan picked her out and Sorrell slotted the ball into the Florida net, putting Georgia up 1-0.
At the final whistle, the Gators had 11 shots compared to Georgia’s eight. But, Sorrell’s goal will surely haunt the Florida squad, as the match concluded shortly afterwards with the Gators unable to conjure up a last-second miracle.
Gator Outlook
Florida falls to 6-3-1 in the SEC and will need a lot of help from other conference teams to win the SEC East title. However, the Gators still comfortably qualified for the SEC tournament that begins Sunday in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Florida will face No. 4 seed Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
At the beginning of the year I predicted one regular season loss for the Gators. They did, in fact, lose and they did so to the team that I said they would. This team has resilience and for the first time since early September they’re at full strength. The return of Kadarius Toney on the offensive side of the ball adds even more explosiveness to an offense that has proven to have some firepower this year. The offensive line continues to improve and the running game is coming along with it. Despite the overall talent gap, I like Dan Mullen and his gameplan a lot more than Kirby and his inevitable mismanagement. The Gators win 34-17.
This is by far my favorite game every year. And towards the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure the Gators stood a prayers chance against the Bulldogs. However, Georgia’s stock is falling while Florida’s is rising. And I think the deciding factor for this game comes down to the coaching. I say this as unbiased-ly as I can, but I’m pretty sure I’ll take Dan Mullen against most any coach in the country. Mullen’s game management has shown to be tremendous week in and week out — even in Florida’s one loss. Whereas Kirby, he’s got a knack for showing that he’s not always as good as a coach and developer as he is a recruiter. So while Georgia might have the edge in talent, Florida’s advantage is found pacing the sideline with a headset on. Dan Mullen was built for these games. And play by play, he will lead the Gators to a WLOCP victory — 31-21, Gators.
Regardless of what has happened this season, previous wins and losses do not matter. This is Georgia versus Florida. This is the game recruits dream of, getting to play in the big spotlight in Jacksonville, and because of that I would expect nothing less than a few memorable performances from either team. One player for the Gators who has shown more than anyone expected is Kyle Trask, who started the season as Feleipe Franks’ backup. Trask has since turned himself into one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. For the Bulldogs, the matchup I am most anxious to see is how D’Andre Swift (752 rushing yards) goes up against the Gator defense. By the sound of the final whistle, I believe the Gators will keep their playoff hopes alive with a 27-24 win.
The 2019 season started with Georgia as preseason favorites to make the College Football Playoff and Florida as a distant dark horse contender. So who would have thought the Gators would come into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party ranked ahead of the Bulldogs?
The quarterback play of Kyle Trask and the virtuoso play calling of Dan Mullen are major keys to No. 6 UF’s success, while a four-turnover disaster and two shanked field goals by kicker Rodrigo Blankenship against South Carolina contributed to No. 8 UGA’s plunge in the AP Poll.
However, Georgia outranks Florida in one vital area: the offensive line.
UGA’s big uglies have allowed only four sacks in seven games. FOUR. The Bulldogs also lead the SEC in rushing (236.9 yards per game) behind the ball-carrying of D’Andre Swift (107.4 yards per game), while Florida’s run defense has struggled mightily of late.
Pair Georgia’s ground game with the SEC’s No. 1 scoring defense (10.6 points per game) and No. 1 total defense (266.7 yards per game), and you have a cocktail recipe of disaster for Gator Nation. The game stays close, but UGA pulls away thanks to its bruising ground attack and stout defense, 30-22.
Before the season began, I didn’t think Florida had a chance to win this game. Georgia has out-recruited the Gators for a while now, and the talent should be leaning heavily in the Bulldogs’ favor.
But it’s not. And that mostly has to do with coaching. Dan Mullen has proven, yet again, that he knows how to develop talent.
While I truly believe that Florida has the more talented QB, this game will be decided in the trenches.
The Gators allowed 218 rushing yards against LSU and 217 against South Carolina. If Georgia has similar success on the ground, it could allow the passing attack to open up. However, if the return of Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga forces UGA to throw the ball, Florida will come out on top.
That said, I have Georgia winning, 31-28.
Florida and Georgia will kickoff at 3:30 PM from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. You can follow @MikeyPfeffer and @ChompTalk for live updates.
Also make sure to check out Own The Fourth Quarter featuring Michael And Will Miles of readandreaction.com.
What are your predictions, Gator Nation? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.
The battle for supremacy in the SEC East will take a decisive turn on Saturday afternoon when the sixth-ranked Gators take on the eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. The annual rivalry game has been a key cog in deciding the Eastern division of college football’s toughest conference many times throughout its rich history and this year’s version could also hold CFP implications.
For the Gators, this weekend is an opportunity to cement their claim that they are a legitimate threat in the SEC and a contender in the hunt for the national championship. In order to get there though, they will have to get past Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, who have won the previous two meetings. Although many analysts had penciled Georgia in as the favorites to win the East, the national perception has taken a massive swing over the last three weeks. Dan Mullen will have his team primed and ready to capitalize on the changing of the wind.
In order to have a chance at toppling the Bulldogs, Florida will need to limit D’Andre Swift and the Georgia running game. The junior running back is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this season and he is the cog that drives the machine of the Bulldogs offense which has otherwise been relatively bland this season. In Georgia’s only loss, South Carolina managed to limit Swift to just 113 yards and 4.9 YPC. Both of those are still really good numbers on the average running back’s stat line but it was a substantial limitation in his average production.
If the Gators can have similar results — which, with the return of Jon Greenard and Jabari Zuniga, they stand a good chance — then they can force the game into the hands of Jake Fromm and an underperforming corps of wideouts. When looking at that matchup, I like Florida’s chances. But what about the other side of the ball?
The Bulldogs haven’t faced a passing attack that is as good as Florida’s up to now. In fact, only Notre Dame ranked in the top 25 in pass efficiency. Their other opponents? Tennessee — who has recently been heating up offensively — is currently ranked #67, South Carolina ranked #111, Kentucky #124, and Vanderbilt came in # 125, Tennessee came in at #67. Three of these teams faced Georgia with either a backup or a true freshman playing quarterback and one of those backups was actually a wide receiver.
Notre Dame is the only Power Five team Georgia has faced who ranks in the top 25 in passing efficiency. As good as the Bulldogs look on the defensive side of passing statistics, they haven’t really been tested up to this point outside of the Fighting Irish who posted 275 yards through the air in Athens. This isn’t to say that the Georgia defense isn’t talented, because they are.
The entire Georgia football team is loaded with blue-chip talent and Kirby Smart is a gifted defensive mind. So make no mistake, a win isn’t guaranteed. However, Dan Mullen has proven his ability to get maximum effort out of his teams, time and again throughout his career. When looking at the coaching matchup, I take Mullen every time. Sure, Kirby has beaten Mullen but he has done so purely by riding the backs of his team’s talent. With a healthy roster and a battle-tested team, Mullen will win the X’s and O’s battle.
I believe that this is the year Florida topples Kirby’s house of cards. I said the Gators would win this matchup in my preseason predictions and I am standing by that prediction now. The Gators will win in Jacksonville on Saturday, 34-17.
The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party kicks off at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. The game will be televised on CBS and will play host to the SEC Network’s SEC Nation. As always, you can follow along with the action via the @ChompTalk and @MikeyPfeffer Twitter accounts and be sure to join me and @WillMilesSEC for the Own The Fourth Quarter live talk show during the fourth quarter.
The start of the NBA season saw only five former Florida Gators on NBA rosters, but the small group still made offseason headlines.
All Star Bradley Beal (guard, Washington Wizards) signed a two year, $72 million extension to stay in the nation’s capital, while five-time All-Star Al Horford (center, Philadelphia 76ers) inked a four year, $109 million deal to ditch Boston for the City of Brotherly Love.
Beal picked up where he left off from his 2018-19 All-Star campaign, speeding out to an average of 26.8 points through his first four contests of 2019-20. He also sports an average of 7.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds, but the Wizards are a lowly 1-3 regardless.
The eighth-year guard registered a masterful, 46-point performance against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night, but his efforts were overshadowed by James Harden’s 59 points in the 159-158 Houston victory. Beal shot a ridiculous 14 of 20 from the field and 7 of 12 from three. He also nailed 11 of 12 free throws while dishing eight assists.
Beal and the Wizards (which also harbor former UF guard Chris Chiozza) will turn around and host the 3-1 Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Horford has enjoyed some decent production since moving to Philadelphia, averaging 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 assists, as the 76ers cruised to a 4-0 start.
In his most recent victory over Minnesota, Horford led all players with 16 total rebounds and 11 defensive rebounds. He added 12 points as all of the 76ers’ starters scored in double digits in the 117-95 win.
For its next matchup, Philadelphia will travel all the way to Portland to take on the 3-2 Trailblazers on Saturday.
Another Gator who has contributed heavily is Dorian Finney-Smith (forward, Dallas Mavericks), who started in both of the Mavericks’ last two victories.
The fourth-year player holds an average of 8.8 points and 6.0 rebounds as Dallas has jumped out to a 3-1 record.
Finney-Smith is known for his lengthy frame and grittiness on defense. His hard work has led to a +32 point differential for the Mavericks when he is on the floor.
However, he contributed a nice offensive performance in Tuesday’s win over the Denver Nuggets. Finney-Smith scored 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting and went 2 of 2 from beyond the arc.
Next up for Dallas is a bout with the 3-1 Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Note: If you’re wondering who that fifth player from Florida is… it’s Chandler Parsons. Somehow the ninth-year forward found a roster spot on the Atlanta Hawks despite playing in less than 40 games in each of the past three seasons.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer to Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
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